The Ark of Zektbach
by Saeryen
Summary: On a refugee ship called the Ark of Zektbach, Empress Matin Catorce of the kingdom of Noigllado sets out to find her lost brother while searching for a way to reincarnate a long-dead planet. This leads to three nations joining to save the world, and discovering a sinister plot to rule them all. (Ar Nosurge-based setting/story, Zektbach characters!)
1. Chapter 1

Once upon a time…

The Ark of Zektbach drifted in the endless sky of stars. In the refugee ship were packed thousands of people, all searching for their new paradise.

Long ago, and no one knew how long ago it had been now, their planet was dying. To escape, they had climbed onto the Ark and transformed their dying planet into the power for the ship. Since then, so much had happened. Three nations had formed, and two of them had declared themselves enemies.

It was Year 979 in the Melius calendar of the Holy Kingdom of Noigllado, and a young girl reigned as its empress.

Fourteen-year-old Matin Catorce stood on the balcony of a white castle, looking up at the illusion of a night sky. She felt no fresh air, and her thoughts were far away.

They were with the news she had heard that very day. She had heard tell from her guard conversing with a soldier that she'd been seen in Azuelgatt, the enemy of Noigllado. She had heard the guard's reply.

"If you believe you've seen her, I know who it was you gazed upon. Breathe not a word of this to the regents!"

The regents were the emperor's council, known as Agiona. As Matin was still young, the five of them did most of the ruling. Matin could not fathom what the guard meant, as Agiona had been nothing but good to her. They kept the peace in Noigllado, this she knew.

She had asked the guard, and he'd told her that she had a twin brother. "That is who Felicitas saw, I'm sure of it," he had said. "But breathe not a word of it to Agiona!"

Naturally, Matin had gone to Zalieri, the head of Agiona, as she saw no reason not to trust him. Zalieri had told her that she must have heard a made-up story.

"Your brother died when he was baby," said Zalieri. "I never wanted to tell you of the tragedy, but you have found out."

Matin would have believed him if she didn't have such an overwhelming sense of hope. She couldn't believe Felicitas, the soldier, would lie. Perhaps Zalieri believed her brother to be dead, but if Felicitas had seen a perfect likeness of her in Azuelgatt—oh, that must be him!

The first thing she'd done was find her personal knight, Falo, and ask him to go to Azuelgatt and find her brother. It was her long-lost brother she thought of as she looked up at the artificial sky. She had felt lonely for much of her life, and was longing to meet him.


	2. Chapter 2

While Noigllado's capital, Novarista, had a large white castle and grand manor houses, with the illusion of a sky, the entire nation of Azuelgatt, on the Ark's other side, could not have been more different.

The sky, if you could call it that, was nothing but darkness. Huge pillars held up the interior of the Ark, and homes were built of every block of stone that had been brought aboard the Ark so long ago. The light came from huge, flaming torches that gave the place a yellow glow. Although Azuelgatt's queen, Aldilla, lived in a palace, even she had less than the people of Novarista.

That land is where Nox Catorce lived.

He had been raised by Adhuk Neuendorf, the former captain of Noigllado's guard. As he'd heard, he'd been left to die when he was a year old, and Adhuk had saved his life and brought him to Azuelgatt.

And the boy had heard stories of Noigllado's treachery against Azuelgatt. The history between the nations had been strained, as Azuelgatt had formed after people had wished to exist outside of Noigllado's influence. Many emperors of Noigllado had attempted to conquer the land, until one of them had stopped the invasions. Still, there had been conflict; Azuelgatt's rulers had wanted to manage on their own without help from a nation they felt untrustworthy, but the emperors still pressured them to be allies. Worst of all, four centuries after a firm peace treaty had been signed, Queen Amira of Azuelgatt was dead at the hands of Noigllado soldiers and her daughter missing, forcing her sister Aldilla to take the throne. And, Nox thought, Noigllado still had the nerve to call Azuelgatt their enemy when all strife had been their own doing.

In Nox's mind, the whole kingdom was corrupted. Not only did they, the council, the soldiers and, he believed, the empress oppress Azuelgatt, they imposed horrible poverty on their own people who lived outside the capital. Agiona law demanded most people pay so much tax they could barely live.

He had learned this from his friend Hannes Farrugia.

Hannes had come from Noigllado like Nox, but she was raised on the outskirts. There was illusion of a sky, like in Novarista, but no house could be found that wasn't made of reclaimed wood scraps. Hardly anyone had enough food to be comfortable, and Hannes, an orphan raised by nuns, had spent her life providing what little food she could along with them. But day by day, the hopelessness of the situation began to beat down on her. She, a mere commoner, could in no way interfere with Agiona's law.

But there was someone who could.

At the age of eleven, Hannes had stolen away from her little village and crept toward the grand door that kept Noigllado separated from the rest of the Ark. Through metal corridors she had gone, so foreign to her, who had known nothing on the ground but synthetic grass and nothing above her but a blue sky. It may not have really existed, but it was better than this, Hannes had thought.

Finally, on the day she arrived in Azuelgatt, she was shocked at how different—and impoverished—the place looked. Nothing above them but darkness, and nothing below them but steel painted to resemble sand. She had found the person she was looking for that day: Queen Aldilla. Only another ruler would be able to bring down the unjust Agiona.

Noigllado's army, Hannes learned, was strong and outnumbered Azuelgatt's. The people didn't dare cross the Ark to ask for aid from a country bent on conquering them. But Shamshir, a strong warrior and general of Azuelgatt's army, was also part of a secret resistance sharing Hannes's goal: bring down the corrupted ones ruling Noigllado and restore justice to the Ark of Zektbach, for everyone.

For the next four years, Hannes had bonded with this resistance, which she was surprised to learn also included citizens of Noigllado like her. There was a young woman called Malacia whose beloved had been imprisoned when he'd refused to pay the Agiona tax. And of course, there was Nox Catorce and Adhuk.

Just like Hannes, Falo was surprised to find the conditions of this nation that he'd only heard refused to cooperate with Noigllado's plans for the salvation of all the people. How could he not have known people were living like this? Surely Empress Matin didn't know about this, and Agiona…they couldn't know about it either, could they? They had been nothing but good to Matin and the people of Novarista.

Now that he thought about it, Falo had seen people outside Novarista with harsher living conditions on his way to Azuelgatt. He had thought little of it, assuming that a refugee ship had a limited amount of nice materials, but a whole kingdom was in trouble here. What was the meaning of this?

Then he saw the boy.

He looked like he didn't belong there, among people who wore common clothing. The boy wore a pink velvet suit. And that blond hair, slung over his shoulder in a braid, and those sky-blue eyes peering out of his pale face…

Falo would have thought he was seeing Matin if he didn't know.

This must be her brother. Falo blinked his eyes. Yes, it was clearly Matin's twin.

So why had Zalieri told Matin her brother had died as a baby?


	3. Chapter 3

In a quiet study in Novarista's castle, Matin Catorce lay against plush blue pillows, a book of stories in her hands.

She had been waiting three days now for news from Falo. Could it be true? Was her brother alive and living in Azuelgatt?

She hoped that the news would be good.

Matin put her book down and stood up. She felt excited and somewhat nervous, for she had made real progress in the reincarnation project, which had been set up by the first emperor of Noigllado long ago. There had been many stumbles, mostly due to failed efforts to persuade Azuelgatt to join with Noigllado, but since a peace treaty had been signed, the rulers of Noigllado had stopped interfering in the affairs of other nations and taken the project entirely into their own hands.

It was a project to reincarnate the lost planet.

Matin had a sacred sword called Trisagion that had been passed down from the first emperor. With it, she had practiced channeling magic by singing in the hopes that one day, she would be able to use Trisagion to further the goal of reincarnation.

It was that very night that she went to Trisagion's alter, picked up the sword and headed through a secret passage in the castle.

Falo hadn't dared to speak to Nox, or to Adhuk, his former captain of the guard, who he was surprised to see there. All thoughts of communication vanished when he heard they were part of an anti-Noigllado resistance. Nevertheless, Falo watched them. He learned that the resistance contained not just citizens of Azuelgatt, but also of Noigllado, and that they were fighting Agiona's unjust laws.

When he'd first heard the words "Agiona" and "tyranny" in the same sentence, Falo couldn't believe his ears. According to the people from Noigllado, no one lived comfortably outside of Novarista due to overly high taxes imposed by Agiona. Falo had never heard of this, and Matin had never indicated she knew about it. Why would Agiona be so cruel to the people? They had been created to keep the peace between Noigllado and Azuelgatt…

Then Falo thought. He remembered leaving Noigllado and seeing how much poorer other cities looked. He'd thought that it was simply a side effect of life on a refugee ship, but now that he thought about it, and compared those other cities with the elegance of Novarista…what if these people were right? Falo shuddered to think that the emperor's council would do something so horrible, but it was beginning to make sense.

He knew that, if Agiona was indeed so very bad, there was no way Matin could know. He had known her for her whole life, and he couldn't think of a kinder, gentler soul anywhere. She would never stand for such a thing.

That was why he absolutely could not believe it when he overheard the resistance's suspicion that Matin was in on Agiona's cruelty.

Falo almost blew his cover and shouted that no, Empress Matin had a pure heart, but he stopped himself. These people hated Noigllado soldiers, and it seemed to be with good reason. Falo shivered as he remembered what had happened just after Matin and Nox had turned a year old. The queen of Azuelgatt had been murdered and the people blamed Noigllado's army, having found their weapons at the scene. Rhineland, the then-emperor and the twins' father, had investigated the army and heard that no, no one had done such a terrible deed. The only thing left had been to talk to Agiona, but before he had a chance to do that, Emperor Rhineland suddenly fell ill and died before the next morning. Nox had disappeared, and Zalieri had told the knights, including Falo, who was a fairly new recruit then, that the prince had died of the same illness as his father.

Falo remembered being asked not to tell Matin, who was placed under his protection, about her brother's existence to spare her any grief. So Zalieri must have either been mistaken or lied to everyone.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Nox say, "Tonight we storm Novarista Castle!"

Falo's face paled. He had to go back and protect Matin!

Matin followed the passage out of the castle, and out of Novarista and even the border of Noigllado, and came to the center of the Ark of Zektbach. Here was a huge reservoir that Agiona called the Flask Sea. Matin had asked many times why it was there, but all she'd ever heard was that it was essential to the plan.

Still gripping Trisagion, she crossed the bridge over the Flask Sea and came to a door. Opening this, she stepped into the room at the very core of the ship, where what looked like a ball of light hovered in between two rotating rings. This was the microquasar, the center of power for the Ark of Zektbach.

Matin took a deep breath in and raised Trisagion in front of her. Then, she began to sing.

An aura of magenta light surrounded Matin and the sword, and when the song was done, the aura left them and dove into the microquasar, where it exploded in a shower of sparkles.

Then something came out of the microquasar. It was a sphere of light that hovered and landed on the bridge next to Matin. The light elongated and transformed into the shape of a woman. She looked human except for her hair, which was made of dancing waves of blue, green and yellow light.

Matin had reincarnated one of the souls of the people who had stayed behind when the planet had died.

"Hello," Matin said.

The woman smiled warmly.

"Hello, Empress Matin Catorce," she replied. "Call me Sigma."


	4. Chapter 4

_Tonight we storm Novarista Castle_ … _tonight we storm Novarista Castle_ … _tonight we storm Novarista Castle_ …

The words echoed in Falo's mind again and again as he stealthily followed Nox and his allies. He couldn't try to stop them now; they had many swordsmen on their side and he knew he would be killed. All he could do was alert the other soldiers, find Matin and keep her safe until backup arrived.

Matin smiled widely at the woman before her.

"You're here," she said. "Now I can reincarnate everyone else…I can save everyone."

"Please," said Sigma. "Call me and my brethren the Zeta, for your song has given us the power to become magical beings by traveling through the lane of Zeta."

Matin had heard of the lane of Zeta; it was what her colleague, a boy named Lien Clewing, called the path by which souls traveled. He was the son of Aria Clewing, a woman who worked as a scientist watching over the microquasar. She had both of them to thank for her success.

Now, Matin realized, was the time to call forth all the other souls and create the other Zeta.

Just then, the door to the microquasar room banged open. Matin turned to see who had barged in and let out an "oh!" of surprise.

The boy who stood before her looked like her mirror image, except he wore different clothes and his hair was in a single braid. Surely this had to be her lost brother!

"By Trisagion!" Matin exclaimed. "He found you!"

"I don't know who you mean," Nox said in an angry tone. "I am merely here to put an end to Noigllado's tyranny!"

With his left hand, he drew a golden sword embedded with a magenta gem, just like the one in Trisagion.

Something clicked in Matin's head.

"T-tyranny?" she said softly. "We have been nothing but just…!"

"Empress Matin!" said a voice.

Falo made his way through the crowd of people behind Nox.

"Worry not! I am here to protect you!"

"Wait!" Matin cried out. "Don't hurt my brother!"

"I don't wish to," Falo said. "But I must save you!"

With that, he charged at Adhuk and the two men began to fight, clashing their swords.

Matin looked among the crowd of people. She saw citizens of Noigllado and Azuelgatt, among them a woman who appeared to be an Azuelgatt soldier.

"Don't toy with me!" yelled Nox. "I know what you and Agiona have been doing! This country is on the verge of ruin, and Azuelgatt is suffering! It's all your fault!"

"What?" Matin gasped softly.

Noigllado on the verge of ruin and Azuelgatt suffering? She had never heard of that, and Nox was saying Agiona had something to do with it.

"Why would anyone do something like that?" said Matin.

"What are you up to?!" Nox demanded.

"I just want to save everyone," Matin replied.

With that, she raised Trisagion, shining a brilliant turquoise blue, and began to sing.

Everyone looked in awe. Adhuk and Falo dropped their weapons as the aura surrounded Matin once more, and, like before, jumped into the microquasar.

Then, thousands of light spheres came out, many hovering in the air. They transformed into men and women, some of whom had skin the colors of grass and fruit, and all of whom had hair appearing to be made of light waves.

Nox blinked twice. No, it couldn't be! But it was.

He had thought that lost souls in the microquasar were legend, but here they were, and Matin Catorce was creating a whole new race of people.

When he thought about, Nox didn't believe that rescuing lost souls was something a horrible tyrant would do. And she'd seemed so shocked at his words. Whatever was going on on the Ark of Zektbach, she knew nothing of it.

Finally, a pale green light sphere and a bright hot pink one came out of the microquasar. They settled on the end of the bridge. The green one transformed into the image of a girl with short brown hair, brilliant green eyes and pale skin. She wore what looked like an elaborate kimono. The other sphere of light too became a girl, but this one had long magenta hair and piercing pink eyes. She was a bit paler than the other, and she wore a short fuchsia dress.

"Are you the Will of the lost planet?" Matin asked.

The green-eyed girl spoke.

"Yes. And so is she. When the planet was transformed into the microquasar, we were split. I govern balance and harmony. Call me Malchut."

"And I govern ideas and passion," said the other. "Please call me L'erisia."


	5. Chapter 5

Seeing two Wills of the lost planet before his eyes, Nox could only think of one thing to say.

"But why?"

Matin looked puzzled.

"Why are the Wills of the planet here?"

At that, Matin smiled brightly.

"Because," she said, "we are going to reincarnate the lost planet."

Everyone except Falo slightly gasped.

"But how would you do that?" Shamshir said. "It's not possible."

Matin stared at the brown-skinned, black-haired woman before her, and her purple eyes looked back. She was the one Matin thought must be an Azuelgatt soldier.

"Pardon me," Matin replied, "but what is your name?"

"I am Shamshir Zamouk, general of the Azuelgatt army."

"General Zamouk," Matin said, "it may seem impossible but do you realize what the outer hull of this ship looks like?"

Nox and the resistance members looked at one another. None of them had ever thought about that.

"It's a sphere at the bottom of a great tower, where the control center lies," Matin continued. "If we can bring to that sphere soil and air, it can become our new paradise. But we can't create a planet without them."

She gestured to Malchut and L'erisia.

* * *

From that moment onward, it was though the bud of hope had sprouted. Immediately after talking with Nox and the others, Matin had gone to Zalieri and asked he repeal the Agiona tax laws. From what she could tell, none of Agiona's members had known the state of things or they would have lowered the taxes drastically. However, only Matin and Hannes believed them. Now that the seed of doubt had been planted in Falo's heart, he was willing to join Nox and Adhuk in investigating Agiona. Nox, meanwhile, had learned of his heritage and been named Prince of Noigllado by Matin.

Three days before the planned creation of the new world, a pact was made. Matin promised Queen Aldilla of Azuelgatt a wide expanse of fertile land for her kingdom. She also sent word to another nation she heard of, called Masinowa. But alas, none of her messengers were able to find that place.

That night, Nox and his resistance, excluding Hannes, stole away from Novarista Castle to Isfaphan, the capital city of Azuelgatt, with Falo in tow.

"General Zamouk!" exclaimed Queen Aldilla when they arrived. "What brings you and your friends here, this late at night?"

"It's _Agiona_ ," said Nox with a glare. "My sister, bless her heart, won't lose faith in them, but those five are looking more and more suspicious the more we learn. And poor Hannes also wants to give them a second chance. But I—we—are wary. Until Empress Matin said so, they have done nothing to help this country, or Noigllado."

"What are you proposing, Prince Nox?" the queen asked.

"I can't convince Matin, or Hannes," he replied. "Not without absolute proof that they've been using the royal family. Your Majesty, can you help us find that proof?"

Queen Aldilla's expression grew serious.

"Certainly. I have every reason not to trust them."

* * *

Finally, the day came to reincarnate the planet. On the bridge above the Flask Sea stood Matin, Nox and Aldilla, and they faced Malchut and L'erisia.

The two Wills turned to face one another and clasped their hands together in front of their faces.

"Please," Matin said, curtsying, "sing to create our new land."

Behind her, Aldilla also curtsied and Nox bowed.

"At ease," L'erisia said. The three of them stood up straight.

L'erisia and Malchut closed their eyes and began to sing.

What Matin heard next, she could only describe as perfect harmony and purity. Their two voices filled her with excitement and intense happiness. It felt to her as though her very heart was being revitalized.

She turned to Nox and Aldilla and was overjoyed to see both of their faces had erupted in glowing, warm smiles.

All over the Ark of Zektbach, all the people shared an intense feeling of hope and joy. A rumble sounded outside, but no one was afraid. They could hear the song, and they knew that a miracle must be happening.

Everyone, that is, except the five members of Agiona.

Zalieri sat in the Novarista Castle library with his colleagues Matthias, Rouven, Lyudmil and Carla. They two could hear the song and growing of new land just above their heads. But none of them felt the harmony because they didn't care enough to. Still, Zalieri and the others were smiling, but not warmly like the three people watching the Wills of the planet sing. No, the expressions on their faces indicated that a cunning plot was working.

Zalieri, in particular, was also feeling quite relieved. He'd been horrified to learn that Nox Catorce was alive, for Nox had the power to wield Tyrfing, the twin blade of Trisagion, and with the power came a predisposition to skepticism. But it seemed the boy had found out nothing of critical importance, and the wheels were already set in motion.

Finally, the song stopped on a harmonious note between the two voices. Feeling she could barely contain her excitement, Matin dashed back to Novarista, and found the sealed door right next to the castle. It was finally time to unseal it.

She raised Trisagion and pointed it at the door, and before her, as well as Falo, Nox, Shamshir, Hannes, Adhuk and Aldilla, who were all behind her, it opened with a rumble.

Before today, it would have led to a metal sheet and the vacuum of space. But before the eyes of the gathered party was fresh grass, real grass, and a real breeze.

Matin stepped out and found herself in a meadow. Staring up at the blue sky, she saw a glow. This, she knew, was the Ark of Zektbach's control center, high above her. Malchut and L'erisia had made it so that it kept the new world warm.

She turned to the others.

"Welcome to Aria te'Laria," she said.


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks to the power of Trisagion, two grand palaces stood in the new world. One of these was the new Novarista Castle, and the other was meant to be the new Isfaphan Palace. That creation made Matin smile, as it was just as luxurious as Novarista Castle, the way a ruler's home should be. And poor Queen Aldilla hadn't had it. Now she would.

People and Zeta were coming through to the new planet, and through the efforts of the Zeta's magic and some of Matin's, homes were appearing. Meanwhile, Matin sat in her new throne room before an assembled council of advisors. She already had Agiona, but it seemed only right that some new people take charge of leading Noigllado.

Alongside Agiona, Nox stood before Matin, as well as Hannes and Adhuk. Matin thought they had fair and just hearts and so would do Noigllado a lot of good. Sigma was there too on behalf of the Zeta, as Matin wanted to make sure their lives were happy.

Finally, her friend Lien stood at the end of the line. When Matin had escorted him and his mother to the new world, Sigma had revealed a shocking secret: Lien was _half-Zeta_.

"But how can that be?" Lien had asked. "The Zeta are a brand new race."

"You have human parents, of course," was Sigma's reply. "But you must know that your mother works at the microquasar."

It was because she had done so while expecting Lien that he had been influenced by the microquasar's power, affecting his biology.

"How else could you be so brilliant?" Sigma had said. "You are a perfect transcendental being. You can understand this universe better than anyone."

Upon hearing this, Matin had immediately appointed him as an advisor.

Today she was having a meeting with them and with Queen Aldilla and Shamshir. She wanted to negotiate the fair distribution of fertile soil, and a plan to make sure no one became impoverished. It was going well, except sometimes Matin thought she saw Zalieri frown. But before she could ask him what was wrong, he was smiling just as always. Was it just her imagination?

After the meeting, the members of Agiona were told to escort people to Aria te'Laria. Thus, Hannes was surprised when Zalieri walked right up to her.

"Can we talk? Alone?" he asked.

Hannes couldn't imagine what the matter would be, but she accepted nevertheless.

"Listen, Hannes," Zalieri said in somber voice. "We can't let just anyone enter this world. Some people are…bad. Sinful, you might say. Their hearts are corrupt."

"What?!" Hannes replied in shock. "No! We can't exclude people! Empress Matin is doing this for everyone on this ship. She wants to make their lives better!"

"Exactly," Zalieri replied. "Which is why we can't let in people who would incite warfare. If that happens, people will die. Crops will be destroyed. Poverty will rise, and a famine may even happen. Empress Matin's hard work would end in failure. The situation might become even worse than it was on the outskirts of Noigllado.

"But worry not, child. Agiona has been working on a way to purify their souls so they may come to this world one day. You saw the Flask Sea on your way to the microquasar with Prince Nox, did you not? It is there to purify the sinful souls. If they rest in there long enough, they will lose their evil impulses."

"Have you told Empress Matin of this?"

"No, child. She would disapprove. She does believe anyone could have an evil heart. Which is why, sadly, we must never ever tell her. But I will need you. If you could see into people's heart, we can make sure only the worthy come in."

Hannes thought, but in the end, she believed Zalieri must be right.

"I'll do it," she said.

"Thank you," said Zalieri. And as he walked away, he made sure Hannes couldn't see his smirking face. The plan was working just as he'd hoped; she'd believed him. The only obstacle left was convincing the Wills of the planet.

* * *

The new world was flooding into L'erisia's memory as she walked across its ground. Fresh grass, blue sky, warm winds – she had known and lived it, and here it was again.

In the distance, she saw someone walking toward her. It was a pale-skinned girl with blonde hair in a bun, who wore a black dress. As the girl drew closer, L'erisia saw that her eyes were the same green as the grass upon which she stood.

"Hannes Farrugia?" L'erisia asked. Being the Will of consciousness that she was, L'erisia knew anyone's name.

Hannes looked troubled, which saddened L'erisia. There should be no reason for sorrow now, she thought.

Then she noticed that behind the girl were two members of Agiona. One man had grey hair that fell to his shoulders, and his pale face was adorned with a pair of glasses. The other had long blonde hair and wore a mask that covered half his face, which was also pale.

L'erisia knew their names. They were Rouven and Lyudmil. And she could feel a dark aura coming from them both.

And then Hannes spoke to L'erisia.

This was all about something Zalieri had said, L'erisia learned. She heard talk of sinful people who might ruin the new planet but could be purified. The two men were backing Hannes up, but L'erisia sensed that they seemed angry and wanting for something, unlike Hannes, who had not a single feeling of that nature. Was there something else behind this? L'erisia knew all too well how corrupt some could become, and it was for this reason that she was wary of Rouven and Lyudmil. But she also knew that anyone's feelings could change in the blink of an eye.

Matin Catorce trusted them.

At last, L'erisia spoke.

"Very well. I will give you this, Hannes. With it, you may see what is in the heart of a person. I do hope it is only used for a just cause."

With that, the Will of the planet waved her hand and a black sword embedded with a magenta gem appeared, floating in front of Hannes, who claimed it.

Hopefully this wasn't a terrible mistake.


	7. Chapter 7

Nox had been surprised at how easy it was to "break in" to the old Novarista Castle inside the Ark of Zektbach. The guards, who were busy moving things to the new castle, simply let him in. It was because Matin had officially made him a prince, allowing him to go wherever he pleased.

He, Falo, Adhuk and Shamshir were heading straight for the old Agiona headquarters. All of them were armed, knowing that someone might still be there to stop any investigation.

But no one was there. They breathed a collective sigh of relief.

"There's nothing here," Falo said after a look around. "They must've taken everything to Aria te'Laria."

Nox had been expecting this. Now they would have to somehow get into Agiona's new headquarters. Despite his status, Nox doubted Agiona would let him in. They had to know he didn't trust them.

"Wait!" cried Shamshir. "I see something!"

She kneeled and pulled a piece of paper out from under a squashy black armchair. Adhuk took it.

"What is… _this_?" he gasped.

"Let me see it!" shouted Nox and Falo together as they both dove for the document.

"Here," Adhuk said grimly, showing it to the other three.

It appeared to be the last page of a larger document. On it were the words "souls contained in the Flask Sea will become the foundation of this project. The new empire will begin through the power of the perfect transcendental being."

"They're gonna do something to Lien!" cried Nox.

"Wait," said Shamshir. "How do we prove this is Agiona?"

"Right here," Falo said. He pointed at the top left corner, upon which was stamped a snake eating its own tail.

"That's the ouroboros," he said. "Agiona's official seal."

He swiped the document from Adhuk's hand.

"We have to show this to Matin!" he said urgently.

* * *

As the four of them walked back to the gate of Aria te'Laria, they were shocked by what they saw.

All five members of Agiona stood at the gate, with Hannes. Every time a person, not a Zeta, came forward, Hannes held up a black sword, prayed for a second, then said something to Carla, a pale Agiona member with short black hair who stood to her right. Carla then either pointed the person through the gate, or to the right, where that person followed Rouven somewhere. Whenever Rouven returned, it was without whoever had been following him.

"Sweet Trisagion," Falo whispered. "What are they doing? And why is Hannes there?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Nox stated bluntly. He marched up to Hannes and Agiona.

"What's going on?!" he demanded.

"Watch your tongue!" Lyudmil snapped.

"Now, now," said Matthias, an Agiona member with short black hair, pale skin and a thin beard. "Let His Highness speak."

"What is this?!" Nox shouted. "What are you doing with these people?! Hannes, why are you with them?"

Hannes opened her mouth to speak, but Zalieri made a shushing noise.

"Calm yourself, my prince," he said. "This is for the safety of everyone. Worry not, no one is being harmed."

Nox glared at Zalieri and was about to snap back, but Falo tapped him on the shoulder.

"Remember," he said, "Empress Matin is awaiting us."

Nox stopped. If Matin found out about this, she could stop it for good with her authority.

"Let's go," he said.

* * *

Matin stared wide-eyed at the document Falo had given to her.

" _Souls_ contained in the Flask Sea?" she half-whispered. "The empire will begin through Lien's power?"

"It gets worse," said Shamshir. "They're at the gate to this world and turning some people away. And Hannes is with them."

"Hannes is? Then we must inform L'erisia!"

"Wait," Adhuk said. "What does she have to do with this?"

"Hannes told me that Agiona had given her a task to do, but she couldn't tell me what it was. She said L'erisia had approved. If there's something going on…"

Matin couldn't bear to think that she'd been betrayed, but if she had been, there was no way L'erisia, a Will of the planet, would knowingly agree to something bad.

"We have to tell her. Oh, here she is now!"

L'erisia had sensed that someone wanted to see her and instantly brought herself there with her magic.

"Tell me what, Empress Matin?"

Matin handed her the document.

"Oh…oh my!" L'erisia cried out. "Hannes!"

She vanished in a swirl of fuchsia sparkles. Moments later, she was back.

"Yes, it makes perfect sense!" she continued. "Oh, how could I have been so foolish?! And poor Hannes has no idea!"

"Where did you go?" Shamshir asked.

"The Flask Sea. Come on, quickly!"


	8. Chapter 8

"Hannes! Hannes, stop this!"

Hannes turned at the sound of the voice. It was Nox. Close behind him were Matin, Shamshir, Falo, Adhuk and L'erisia.

Hannes was still standing in front of a line of people and Zeta, but the Agiona members were nowhere to be seen.

"Nox?" Hannes said. "Matin? Shamshir—is that the Will of the planet?! What are you all doing here?"

"Hannes, you need to stop. Whatever— _where's Agiona_?!"

Adhuk was shaking his head.

"Oh no," he said. "This is very, very bad."

"What's bad?" Hannes asked with worry. "What's going on?"

"We need to get to the Flask Sea right now!" Falo said urgently. "Come on!"

* * *

Matin was horrorstruck at what she saw.

Suspended in the water were large upside-down flasks. In each of them a person appeared to be in a deep sleep.

"The souls contained…for the new empire…" she whispered.

"'New empire?'" Hannes asked. "Zalieri told me that this was the only way to purify people with sinful thoughts!"

"That was a lie," growled Shamshir. "We found this."

She thrusted the document into Hannes's hands.

Hannes's eyes widened.

"Ouroboros," Matin said, gesturing to the top left corner of the page. "Agiona's official seal. It's genuine."

"I'm sorry, Hannes," L'erisia said softly. "I didn't want to believe they would plot something sinister. I was wrong."

Just then, a tremor shook the room.

"Something's happening!" L'erisia shouted. "I have to make sure the planet is okay. You all go stop Agiona!"

With that, she disappeared.

"Look!" yelled Nox.

Everyone looked in the direction he was facing. A pulsing light was coming from the door to the center of power, where the microquasar was.

"We have to walk carefully," said Falo. "We better not fall into that water."

As they crept along the bridges in the still-shaking room, Matin turned to Hannes.

"What made you think someone was 'sinful?'" she asked.

"I used this sword L'erisia gave me. Apocalypse, she called it. It allowed me to see into people's hearts. Anyone who was full of anger was called a sinful person by Zalieri. And it was only ever a person who was angry, he said, not a Zeta."

"How could you be so foolish?!" Nox yelled. "We were angry too! You in particular were angry about the Agiona tax laws!"

"Nox, please don't call people fools," Matin replied. "But…yes. The new world is supposed to be a place where a suffering person can find a new life. We don't just assume them to be bad and send them away."

Hannes sighed. Yes, they were right. She should have seen Zalieri's scheme for what is was when he said anyone unhappy must be evil.

At last they reached the door.

"I'll stop this," Nox snarled as he banged the door open.

" _Agiona_!" he shouted, pointing his sword at the five Agiona members who stood in front of the microquasar.

"They found us," Rouven said without a hint of fear in his voice.

Sword still drawn, Nox walked into the room, followed by the others.

" _Lien_!" Matin shrieked.

Lien was standing to Agiona's left. His eyes were shut tight and his hands were on his head. His mouth was open as though he was screaming silently, and he seemed to be struggling against an invisible force.

Matin ran to his side.

"What are you doing to him?!" she shouted with tears beginning to form on her face.

Rouven smiled evilly as he held up a gray rod topped with a pulsing red sphere.

"We knew a perfect transcendental being existed, and being acquainted with his mother, we found out quickly that it was him. Quicker than you, who had to create an entire race just to find out," Rouven said with a sneer. "Our plan requires his power, so I invented this. As long as it's active, he has to obey our orders."

At these words, Shamshir, Adhuk and Falo also drew their blades.

"You are despicable!" Shamshir snarled. "Let him go!"

"Oh, but we can't," said Zalieri. All the kindness in his voice from when he'd talked with Hannes was gone.

"I see you found something we misplaced," Zalieri continued. "Unfortunately, you found it too late. The Zeta and the planet have been created, and we have enough souls in the Flask Sea."

Suddenly, Matin stepped toward Zalieri with Trisagion in her hand.

"As Empress of the Holy Kingdom of Noigllado, I order you to abandon this plan and release Lien Clewing and every person suspended in the Flask Sea!" she proclaimed through tears.

"No," Zalieri replied coldly. "Did you really think you had any authority? This empire belongs to Agiona, and it has been ever since we rid ourselves of two obstacles."

Matin gasped.

"What do you mean?" she asked in horror.

"You are unfit to rule the empire," Zalieri continued. "My colleagues and I are the only ones who know how to keep people obedient. The tax laws kept the citizens of Noigllado down, so they would never be able to rise against us. As for Azuelgatt, they would never think to come for us if they thought Noigllado's army was out to get them. So, I asked Carla to assassinate Queen Amira and plant a weapon of a Noigllado knight."

The look on Shamshir's face contorted into one of immense hatred for Zalieri.

"Unfortunately," he continued, "Emperor Rhineland—your father, Matin and Nox—was determined to find out who was behind the attack. I knew he was going to investigate us, so Rouven slipped poison in his wine before he could. And Prince Nox…his ability to wield the sword Tyrfing marked him as the suspicious type. We planned to kill him too, but he was gone before we could. Former captain Adhuk Neuendorf…you could have destroyed our ambitions by saving his life."

" _You killed my father_?!" Nox screamed.

"How could you do something like this?!" Matin cried.

"For the new empire," Zalieri replied. "And this is the beginning!"

Nox charged at Zalieri, but suddenly he staggered back. Everyone did, for Lien had begun to sing. The song was full of distortion and hatred, and Lien was still struggling while Rouven held his device triumphantly in the air. Everyone in the room could see that Lien was not in control of himself.

Falo, Shamshir and Adhuk began to scream and clutch their heads, feeling great pain. However, Matin, Nox and Hannes did not. They too felt pain, but nowhere near as intense. What's more, the pink gems within their swords were glowing, and they all had an aura of the same color.

"Is Trisagion…protecting me?" Matin whispered.

"Matin!" Nox yelled. "Look at that!"

The members of Agiona were rising up, and, to the horror of Matin, Nox, and Hannes, they seemed to merge into a dark shape, which twisted and writhed until it assumed a form.

Before the seven people in the room was a huge black snake with bat's wings and glowing red eyes. It spoke in the combined voices of Agiona.

"We are the Ouroboros Ark."


	9. Chapter 9

Matin screamed in terror.

"Oh, dear Trisagion!" she cried out.

Then she ran to Lien.

"Lien!" she screamed. "Please, stop this! Fight it!"

She shook his shoulders, but he didn't stop. He was still shaking in an attempt to free himself, but the song continued.

"Matin, stop!" Nox shouted. "That isn't working! We have to defeat this thing!"

Matin turned. The Ouroboros Ark was hovering above everyone, its eyes glowing in a sinister way.

"But how are we supposed to fight _that_?!" Matin squealed in fear.

"I don't know, but we have to try!" Nox shot back. "Look what's happening to the others!"

Sure enough, Shamshir, Falo and Adhuk were sliding towards the Ouroboros Ark, as if it was pulling them in.

"We have to save them and all the others!" Nox shouted. "I don't know how, but these swords are keeping us safe. I'll fight it!"

Nox stood in front of Shamshir, Falo and Adhuk and pointed Tyrfing at the Ouroboros Ark. Then he began to sing.

As he sang, the aura surrounding him grew deeper magenta, and his sword glowed brighter.

"Matin!" Hannes said. "Get behind me. I helped Agiona do this, so now I'll help Nox!"

"But what about Lien?" asked Matin.

"He'll be okay as long as we stop this monster!" shouted Hannes. "Just get yourself away from it!"

Hannes stood next to Nox, drew her sword and joined him in song. Matin tried to move Lien but he wouldn't budge, so she stepped behind them to see if she could help Shamshir and the others.

But Shamshir and the two men were no longer hunched over in pain. They were sitting on the ground, looking exhausted.

"Empress…Matin…" Falo said weakly. "I think…they saved us…"

He gestured at Nox and Hannes.

"Can you walk?" Matin asked.

"I…can," Shamshir said, as she slowly got up.

"Then go! Get out of here! I'll help Falo and Adhuk!"

"No…" Shamshir replied. "You can't…hold them both. I'll take Adhuk."

Matin and Shamshir headed for the door, supporting Falo and Adhuk and their respective shoulders. As soon as they stepped out into the Flask Sea, they discovered that the tremor had gotten a lot less intense.

"Come on!" Matin called. "And don't touch that water!"

It was a long walk, but they made it to the door to the secret passage to the old Novarista Castle, where Falo and Adhuk immediately sat down.

"Are you okay?" Matin asked.

"Yeah," Adhuk said. "I feel stronger now that I'm farther away from…that."

"Shamshir, please take care of them," said Matin. "I'm going back."

"But you can't!" the other three protested.

"My brother is still in there!" Matin snapped. "And so are Hannes and Lien! I'm not about to leave them!"

Falo got to his feet

"No!" he cried. "Stop!"

But Matin had already left.

* * *

Matin banged the door to the center of power open. There still was the Ouroboros Ark, hovering menacingly. However, Lien was no longer singing. He was crying in Nox's arms. The tremor had completely stopped.

"We did it," Hannes said. "We subdued it enough to save him."

"Then let's go," Matin said.

Suddenly, the Ouroboros Ark began to glow. Bolts of lightning shot out of its body. The four people in the room felt a tug in its direction.

" _Run_!" Nox yelled.

They rushed out of the door and slammed it shut.

Matin looked sorrowfully at the Flask Sea.

"These people…" she half-whispered. "I want to save them."

"We will," Nox assured her. "But first we have to defeat the Ouroboros Ark."

"Yes…" said Matin. "I remember Falo said we shouldn't fall in. I think we'll get pulled in if we try to touch the water."

* * *

Matin could not sleep that night.

She knew Lien and Hannes had gotten safely back to their homes, and Nox was probably still out there practicing his sword skills. He had already slashed several wooden slabs upon which crude drawings of ouroboroses were pinned. But all those people…and the terrible things Agiona had done…

Matin wandered out of her room and to a small observatory, where the starlight shone, illuminating the floor.

"Why…" she said. "Why…?"

She fell to her knees in tears.

"It's all my fault, it's all my fault, it's all my fault…"

How could she have not seen it? How could she not have known what had really killed her father and the previous queen of Azuelgatt? Why hadn't she been aware of the awful Agiona tax laws and poverty in her own nation?

Matin continued to cry. She could've stopped all this. If she had just left Novarista…but she had not.

"I should've…should've…"

"Shhh, stop. It's okay."

Matin looked up and noticed that Nox had thrown his arms around her.

"This isn't your fault," he said gently. "This was all Zalieri's doing."

"But I—"

"You did nothing wrong, Matin. You had no idea any of this was going on. Agiona are the ones who hid it all from you, and I promise they will answer for their actions."

"Nox…"

"Shhh, it's alright. I'm here. And Hannes and Lien and Shamshir and Falo and Adhuk are all okay. And so are Sigma and Aria and Malchut and L'erisia. We're all together. We'll get through this."


	10. Chapter 10

"This won't work! This is terrible! This is all rubbish!"

L'erisia kicked a table leg, causing papers and flasks of liquid to shake.

She was in the laboratory of Aria te'Laria with Malchut, Lien, his mother Aria, and Sigma.

"L'erisia," Malchut said, "calm down! I promise we can make this work."

"We can't afford to calm down!" L'erisia snapped. "We have to undo what Agiona has done! We're running out of time! If we don't act, everyone will—"

The ground shook violently, as did the papers and flasks.

"Lady L'erisia, please!" Aria said sternly.

L'erisia fell to her knees. The shaking stopped.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I can't afford to be so…"

"Lady L'erisia, I'm angry, too. And we will fix this," Lien reassured her.

It wasn't the first time that day that L'erisia had become emotional, causing an earthquake.

* * *

Meanwhile, Matin was rooting thoroughly through everything in Agiona's office.

"I have to find it I have to find it I have to find it," she whispered under her breath.

At last she found a stack of pages that looked promising.

"Let me see…"

She started rifling through the pages.

"Last page, last page…"

She gasped.

"This is it!"

She looked at the last page and the page Nox had found. It all made sense.

Matin had finally found Agiona's document about the Ouroboros Ark.

"Let's see…'We, Agiona, shall dominate the Ark at the helm…'"

She grabbed a previous page.

"'Power for the project 'Ouroboros' shall be stored in the Flask Sea,'" Matin read. "'Once enough souls are contained, the Ark of Zektbach's power source shall be shifted to life…energy…'"

Matin's eyes widened.

"'…and that power shall fuel the transcendental being's song that creates the core of the 'Ouroboros Ark.' Through Prof. Rouven Kenpfert's invention, Lien Clewing will sing the song.' Yes, and Agiona will dominate the Ark, and then 'the Ark's power, with the assistance of the energy of the 'Zeta' life forms, will absorb and…dominate…every soul within this skyship…'oh, no!"

She clasped the pages in her hands and ran as fast as she could to Nox's room.

"Brother! Look at this!"

Nox took the pages and his expression darkened as he read them.

"So Zalieri plans to become 'emperor' by transforming everyone into that _thing_!" he snapped.

"But what did he mean by 'life energy?'" Matin asked with worry.

"I'm not sure. If he did switch the ship's power source, then it's no longer getting its energy from the microquasar. That means everyone on this ship could be in real danger! We have to tell the others!"

* * *

Shamshir entered the door to the Noigllado throne room, where Queen Aldilla and Matin and her advisors were waiting.

"Look at this!" Nox growled, thrusting the Agiona document in Shamshir's face.

"Nox, please calm down," Matin said.

"'Calm down?!' Matin, this is _evil_!"

"I know. But General Zamouk has no part in this, so please be kinder to her."

"Your Highness," Lien said, "may I see that?"

Nox nodded.

Lien took the document and read it.

"So this says Agiona put those people in the Flask Sea to use their power. They switched the ship's power source to their life energy, which enabled Rouven to make me sing that awful song…and they want to turn everyone else into the Ouroboros Ark too, which means we must work harder than ever to defeat it!"

Hannes sighed.

"Lady Malchut and Lady L'erisia thought of everything they could, but came up with nothing," she explained. "According to Lady L'erisia, Zalieri and the others desire to stay as the Ouroboros Ark, and as long as they do, they, at least, cannot be separated."

"So that means anyone else could?" Shamshir piped up hopefully.

"In theory," replied Lien. "Prince Nox and Hannes's use of their swords stopped Agiona from pulling anyone else into the Ark at that time. And one of those swords being made by Lady L'erisia, the Will who governs identity, should have power to reverse an assimilation of that sort."

Suddenly, the door banged open. There stood Malchut.

"Lady Malchut!" Matin cried. "Do you have news?"

"Dreadful, Your Majesty!" Malchut replied. "I can feel the collective unconscious of all living things, and I felt…oh, I felt…"

Tears began to fall from her eyes.

"Oh, Your Majesty," Malchut sobbed. "The souls in the Flask Sea were pulled into the Ouroboros Ark!"

Everyone gasped.

Nox grasped the sword at his belt.

"Your Highness," Malchut said to him, "please, don't go after it."

"How can we save those people?!" Matin cried out.

"We have to defeat the Ark first," Malchut replied. "Falo was right to keep you away from that water. It's tainted."

"You mean…"

"Yes. Anyone who touches it will get pulled in."


End file.
